During one month, drugs costing an estimated #13,350 were handed in to pharmacies and officials estimate that, taking into account all those who did not use the drugs dump to dispose of their unwanted medicines, the figure for the year would be around #500,000.

David Tait, PCG prescribing adviser, said: ?In Nuneaton and Bedworth, #13,630,000 is spent on medicines a year, and this year we?re spending an extra nine per cent, or #1.135 million.

?The money we could save on unused medicine could be used elsewhere for health.

?Patients often don?t want to tell their doctor or nurse they have not been taking their tablets regularly, or they?re not working for them, and continue to get repeat prescriptions.

?But we all need to work together to prevent this, because once the medicine is handed out, it cannot be used for anyone else.

?If you have something taken off your prescription it doesn?t mean it can?t be put back on again at a later date.?

Russell Hamilton, chairman of the PCG, said: ?I would like to thank the Nuneaton Evening Telegraph for highlighting the drugs dump campaign, because we had a very good response as a result of the articles.?